Bacon Cheeseburger Tacos

L.A. is a burger town. We’ve got Fatburger, The Apple Pan, and In-N-Out, with its secret menu where all the really good stuff is hidden unless you know what to ask for. And now we’ve got the Trejo’s bacon cheeseburger taco. Who needs a double double animal style when you’ve got this bacon cheeseburger taco? You won’t find this on In-N-Out’s secret menu. Yet.

Makes 12 tacos

1 pound 80% lean ground beef

¼ cup Gringo Seasoning (this page)

2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola

12 6-inch corn tortillas

1½ cups shredded Mexican-style cheese blend, store-bought or homemade (see this page)

¼ cup finely chopped red onion

¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

12 cherry tomatoes, quartered

½ cup roughly chopped crisp-cooked bacon

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef and the Gringo Seasoning, using your hands to evenly distribute the seasoning without overworking the meat. Form the meat into 4 patties, each one about ¾ inch thick.

Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until it is shimmering and just smoking, about 2 minutes. Sear the patties in the hot pan until they are crisp and deeply browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn the patties over and cook on the other side for 4 minutes for medium doneness. Transfer the patties to a cutting board and let them cool for 5 minutes (you don’t want the juices running out and leaving you with dry meat). Then chop the patties into a rough ½-inch dice.

Preheat the oven to 250°F.

Stack the tortillas, wrap them in aluminum foil, place them in the oven, and let them warm until they’re fragrant and pliable, about 15 minutes.

Remove the tortillas from the oven. Unwrap the stack and line up the tortillas, assembly-line-style, on your work surface. Place the beef in a straight line down the center of each tortilla. Sprinkle a line of cheese over the beef, then top with onion, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, and bacon, and serve.

Master Recipe

We call this vegan filling “asada” even though it’s technically not an asada (which is Spanish for “grilled”), because it does use the same marinade that goes on our Carne Asada. Mushrooms soak up all the spicy, savory flavors and make a hearty taco filling.

Serves 4 to 6

1 pound mushrooms, such as cremini, stemmed and sliced

1½ cups Carne Asada marinade (this page)

2 tablespoons pure olive oil

In a medium bowl, toss the mushrooms with the marinade. Set them aside to marinate for 30 minutes.

Set a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, and heat until it is shimmering, 2 minutes. Working in batches (if you overcrowd the pan, they will steam instead of brown), cook the mushrooms, stirring often, until they are lightly browned, about 15 minutes per batch.

Serve the mushrooms as tacos or bowls (recipes follow), or with all the fixings for Carne Asada Tacos (this page), or swap them in for the chicken on Pollo Frito Quesadillas (this page).

Mushroom Asada Tacos

1½ cups shredded green cabbage

¼ cup Salsa Verde (this page)

1 recipe Mushroom Asada (this page)

½ cup Pepita Pesto (this page)

3 limes, quartered (12 wedges)

Remove the tortillas from the oven. Unwrap the stack and line up the tortillas, assembly-line-style, on your work surface.

In a medium bowl, mix the shredded cabbage with the Salsa Verde. Spoon the mushrooms in a straight line down the center of each tortilla. Place a line of the cabbage mixture on top of the mushrooms, and top that with the pesto. Serve each taco with a lime wedge.

Mushroom Asada Bowls

Makes 4 bowls

2 cups Spanish Rice (this page), warmed

2 cups Basic Black Beans (this page), warmed

2 cups grilled corn (see this page)

1 cup Pico de Gallo (this page)

1 cup shredded romaine lettuce

In each individual serving bowl, arrange evenly divided portions of the rice, beans, corn, Pico de Gallo, lettuce, and Mushroom Asada in a clockwise pattern. Top with the Pepita Pesto.